Source: NBC News
“Police in the ex-Soviet state of Georgia used tear gas and stun grenades early on Wednesday to break up a protest outside Parliament against a draft law on ‘foreign agents.’ Reuters witnesses in the capital, Tbilisi, saw police with riot shields making arrests along Rustaveli Avenue, the main thoroughfare running through the center of the city. Hours earlier police had clashed with demonstrators, some of whom threw petrol bombs and stones. … The protests erupted after legislators gave initial backing to the law, which critics say represents an authoritarian shift and could hurt the country’s bid to join the European Union. … Critics say it is reminiscent of a 2012 law in Russia that has since been used to crack down on dissent. President Salome Zourabichvili, who has said she will veto the law it if crosses her desk, said she was on the side of the protesters.” (03/08/23)